Filming the fury of the sea

Beston Society documentary film producer Don Wilding, left, takes a moment to pose with Beston actor Chris Kolb during filming at Nauset Beach in Orleans during Wednesday's storm. Don't be fooled by the smile -- Wilding was clinging to the umbrella for dear life (the umbrella's, that is) in the face of a 40-mph gale. (Photo by Christopher Seufert/Mooncusser Films)

During his time on the Outer Beach, Henry Beston often ventured out into stormy weather to find out what nature truly had to offer. During sunny weather, the beach offered glorious splendor. When the nor’easters came calling, well, that could leave a person truly in awe of nature’s power.

So in order to capture that elemental fury as part of the Beston Society’s documentary film project, three of us — director Christopher Seufert, Beston actor Chris Kolb and yours truly (the film’s producer) went to Nauset Beach in Orleans on Wednesday for a two-hour filming session. It took only a matter of seconds to realize that this was going to be the hardest shoot of the half dozen or so that we’ve done so far.

The wind was blowing in from the northeast at a steady 35 to 40 miles per hour, with higher gusts, and I would venture to say that it was a steadier sustained gale than what Superstorm Sandy had offered up just 10 days earlier. My job was to hold an umbrella vertically against the wind to shield Seufert against the blowing sand, while also keeping an eye open for any rogue waves that might come surging in. The blowing sand was the element that even the Coast Guards of Beston’s day found to be the worst part of walking the beach in a storm, and I was the only thing preventing it from blasting Seufert and his camera while shooting footage of Kolb as Beston on the beach (Amazingly enough, the umbrella wasn’t blown inside out until filming was completed, and Seufert later informed me that it would indeed survive to fight off the elements another day). The high volume of the howling wind also made verbal communication quite difficult.

My experience was a physical workout. The steady pressure from the wind against the vertical umbrella was enormous; similar to trying to prevent a wall or roof from caving in. It almost knocked me over on a few occasions and I couldn’t let up one bit, risking an uncontrolled Mary Poppins-type experience if I did. Muscle soreness set in after only a few minutes and is still present nearly 24 hours later. However, the coverage from the umbrella did spare me several million more grains of sand to the face. Kolb wasn’t as fortunate — his face was covered more than either mine or Seufert’s. No wonder Beston remarked years after his Cape Cod experience that “there is still sand behind my ears.”

In The Outermost House, Beston writes of the sinking of the boat the Montclair on the sandbars off Nauset Beach, where several crew members lost their lives. During this session, we had the opportunity to film Kolb evaluating the wreckage, which is visible from time to time on Nauset Beach.

Our next filming session will occur in the next few weeks, and focus will be shifted to Beston’s experiences as an ambulance driver in France during World War I. That experience is a key element in the story of The Outermost House, as his seeking refuge from the horrors of the war led him to staying on the beach in Eastham for that extended period during the 1920s.

Film director Christopher Seufert examines wreckage from the Montclair during filming on Nauset Beach during Wednesday's storm. Beston wrote of the wreck in "The Outermost House." (Photo by Don Wilding/Henry Beston Society)

Film director Christopher Seufert, right, films footage of Beston actor Chris Kolb examining the wreckage of the Montclair during Wednesday's storm at Nauset Beach. Beston wrote of the wreck in "The Outermost House." (Photo by Don Wilding/Henry Beston Society)

Beston actor Chris Kolb takes a break from filming during Wednesday's storm at Nauset Beach in Orleans. Kolb sought refugee behind a dune after facing the 40-mph wind and blowing sand. "There is still sand behind my ears," Beston said of his Cape Cod experience many years later. Look closely around Kolb's eyes, and you'll know what Beston is talking about. (Photo by Don Wilding/Henry Beston Society)

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Don Wilding

Don Wilding is the executive director and co-founder of the Henry Beston Society, a non-profit organization promoting the works and philosophies of the author of "The Outermost House." A veteran of 28 years of working for newspapers in ... Read Full